


The Demons' Kingdom

by neyla9



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: AU, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-15
Updated: 2018-04-22
Packaged: 2018-09-17 19:00:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 14,025
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9338669
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/neyla9/pseuds/neyla9
Summary: Dipper Pines falls asleep one day in the woods, and run into an odd boy called Bill. Bill seems odd, but not enough to prevent Dipper from playing with him. Unfortunately, Dipper soon learns why you shouldn't trust strange people you meet in old woods...





	1. The Meeting & Deal

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone! Don't worry, I am working on the next chapters for my WIP fics, but this story has been lying around since summer vacation, and I thought it was about time I finished up chapter 1. This fic is loosely based on a story I read when I was much younger. I don't remember the title, but it goes pretty much like the first chapter in this story, only instead of demons, it's trolls.
> 
> Anyway, hope you like it:3

”Fine! Then I’ll get your sister to do it! She has more upper body strength than you anyway!” Dipper ignored his great-uncle’s yells, continuing to walk away from the shack that his grunkle called a house, and towards the woods surrounding the sleepy little town.

Dipper and his twin sister, Mabel, had been sent by their parents to spend summer with their great-uncle Stan. Their parents had asked Stan to set the two ten year olds to work, hoping it would teach the children some responsibility, as well as give them some life experience. However, Dipper was sure that his grunkle hated him; the old man always seemed to single out Dipper for the hardest jobs, and today, the young boy had decided that enough was enough, and left the house without telling, or even knowing, when he would be back.

Dipper heard the old church bell chiming, signaling that it was now eleven am. He must have been close to the church, since he could almost feel the vibrations of the bell’s tolls.

Feeling emotionally exhausted from his fight with Grunkle Stan, Dipper lied down in the shade of a boulder; the soft grass beneath his body and the distant sound of a waterfall lulling him to sleep.

 

In, what felt like, a short while later, Dipper awoke, feeling as if someone was watching him. He opened his eyes, and was greeted by two amber eyes, staring directly into his own. Dipper screamed and backed away, hitting the back of his head on the boulder behind him.

“Sorry,” a voice from above him said. Dipper looked up and saw who the voice, as well as the eyes, had belonged to; a young boy, who seemed to be about Dipper’s age, was sitting on the boulder. The boy had dark skin and blond hair; he wore shabby clothes like Dipper, and didn’t have any shoes on his dirty feet. “I didn’t mean to scare ya,” the boy continued and climbed down from the rock. “I just don’t see many new faces ‘round here.”

“It’s alright,” Dipper assured the boy, wincing a little from the lingering pain of hitting the back of his head on a giant rock. “So, you’re a local then?”

“Yup!” the boy said proudly. “My family has lived here for generations!”

“Nice to meet you,” Dipper responded and stretched out his right hand, the boy seemed to recoil slightly from the outstretched limb. “Uh, my name is Dipper. My sister and I are visiting the town for the summer.”

“Oh,” the boy, somewhat reluctantly, took Dipper’s hand, pausing for a moment before shaking it. “You can call me Bill!” As soon as Dipper let go of Bill’s hand, the boy returned to his previous good mood.

“Do you live nearby?” Dipper asked.

“Yes!” Bill responded excitedly. “Me and my family’s home is through this portal! But the portal looks like a waterfall!”

Dipper was taken aback by that. He frowned for a moment, but decided that Bill must be playing some kind of game.

“Really? What’s your house like?” Dipper continued asking.

“It’s not a house!” Bill laughed. “It’s a castle! After all, I’m the prince of Gravity Falls.”

“Oh, I didn’t know that,” Dipper laughed along. “Well, I’m actually a prince too.”

“No way!” Bill gasped in amazement.

“No, it’s true,” Dipper explained. “I live in a castle too, but from the outside, it looks like an old shack.”

“I’m surprised, to be honest,” Bill suddenly got really close to Dipper, staring once again into his eyes. “You have a very powerful soul; most royals don’t have that, since they’re too spoiled.”

“Uh, thanks?” Dipper said awkwardly and backed away from Bill once more.

“Hey, let’s go play!” Bill grabbed Dipper by the arm, and dragged him further into the woods.

They played tag, hide-and-seek, climbed trees, and ate some fruit and berries for lunch. Dipper didn’t know for how long they played, but in the back of his mind, he found it somewhat odd that he hadn’t yet heard the chiming of the church bells.

By the end of a game, where the boys had rolled down a grassy hill, Bill and Dipper had sat down at the foot of the hill.

“Dipper, you’re my best friend, okay?” Bill whispered as if he was sharing some kind of secret.

“Okay, then you’re my best friend too,” Dipper simply replied.

“Noooo…” Bill groaned. “You don’t get it; you’re my very, bestest friend ever! I can feel that.”

“I don’t really know what you’re feeling,” Dipper frowned. “But, thanks?”

Bill’s face suddenly turned very serious.

“I need to go home soon,” he said. “I’m actually not allowed to be out of the castle yet; not old enough.”

“So I’m never gonna see you again?” Dipper asked, his voice somewhat sad at the thought of losing his newest friend.

Bill looked down at his hands, and then looked up at Dipper, a look of determination in his amber eyes.

“Dipper, do you wanna get married?!” Bill nearly shouted.

“What?” Dipper gave the other boy a confused look.

“See, if we got married, you could stay with me in my castle, and we wouldn’t have to say goodbye!” Bill explained, a wide grin beginning to form on his face. “Then we could play together forever!”

Dipper assumed that the other boy was still playing around; after all, they were both much too young to get married.

“Alright, sure,” Dipper nodded and gave Bill a small smile.

“Yes!” Bill exclaimed. He stuck his hand into his back pocket and fished out a ring; the ring itself were made from, what looked like, entwined roots, with a yellow, marquise cut stone in it. It wouldn’t surprise Dipper if Bill had made that ring himself, but Dipper did wonder where Bill had gotten the stone from.

“Oh, it looks a little too big for me,” Dipper noted.

“Not it’s not!” Bill insisted and slipped the ring on Dipper’s left ring finger. Dipper was surprised at how perfectly it fit. He looked at the yellow stone and noted that it had a black streak on it, reminding Dipper of a cat’s eye. Maybe the rock was a form of tiger’s eye stone?

“So are we married now?” Dipper asked.

“Nah, just engaged,” Bill rose to his feet and took Dipper’s hand in his own. “Come! I’ll show you my home!”

Dipper let Bill drag him through the woods, along a stream, and towards a roaring waterfall. However, after Bill had led him to a dark tunnel behind the waterfall, Dipper hesitated.

“Wait, are you sure this is safe?” he asked nervously.

“Of course!” Bill reassured him. “My family lives on just the other side! Come on!”

With more determination than before, Bill proceeded to drag Dipper through the tunnel.

“Bill,” Dipper whispered, standing as close to Bill as he could. “I’m scared.”

“Don’t be,” Bill told him. “There’s nothing here that can hurt you, as long as I’m here.”

Dipper didn’t find that very assuring. After all, what could a small child do if there was a cave-in? Dipper’s worries were soon forgotten, however, when the tunnel was lit up by hundreds of shining gemstones embedded in the floor and walls.

“It’s beautiful,” Dipper gasped in amazement.

“We’re getting close now,” Bill told his companion. “Hold on tight!”

“Why?” that question had barely left Dipper’s mouth, before the floor under them collapsed, and they were plunged into darkness.

Soon, the vertical descend became a sharp angled slide that slowly turned an obtuse angle, and finally, they came to a stop on a flat, smooth surface.

Dipper looked at his new surroundings; he seemed to be in some kind of hall, with floor and walls made from onyx. Along the walls hung torches, burning a blue fire, as well as a giant chandelier made from yellow crystals. The most concerning part, however, was that the hall was filled with people, dressed in fine clothes, who were all staring at him with disgust.

“Mom! I’m home!” Bill called out, clearly unconcerned with previous events.

“Cipher!” a young woman, wearing an elegant celeste blue gown, and decorated in expensive jewelry, step forth and grabbed Bill by the arm. “Where have you been? And what are you wearing?! And why did you bring a human with you?!”

“Mom…” Bill groaned in whiny tone. “I was just out playing in the woods, and I found this human, and I wanna keep him, so we’re getting married!”

“Cipher, you can’t just bring humans into our world,” the woman’s tone had gotten gentler after Bill’s explanation. “They don’t belong here, and besides-“

“But we made a deal!” Bill insisted. “I gave him that ring, and he wears it now!”

“Are you sure about this?” the woman asked. “If you go through with this, the two of you will be spending eternity together.”

“What?” Dipper exclaimed, finally getting over his shock.

“Yes, mom,” Bill nodded. “He’s the one; I know it. He told me he’s a prince, but he has a really strong soul, and I want it!”

“Can someone please explain to me what’s going on?” Dipper asked, feeling somewhat helpless.

“It’s like I told you; we’re getting married, and you’re staying with me,” Bill explained.

“But… Bill, you aren’t human, are you?” Dipper asked carefully.

“Nope, I’m a demon!” Bill shrugged. “I didn’t really try to hide it, but I guess I never mentioned it. But that’s not a problem… right?” Bill’s expression turned more sorrowful, most likely at the prospect of Dipper rejecting him.

“I guess not, but,” Dipper tried to think of a way to explain this misunderstanding, to get out of this whole thing. “I… I thought we were just playing a game… I didn’t-“ Dipper paused; Bill’s expression had turned downright heartbroken, whereas Bill’s (Cipher’s?) mother glared at Dipper with murderous intent. Dipper realized that if Bill had been telling the truth, that meant that he was currently surrounded by Bill’s subjects, while he was in the middle of breaking off his engagement with their prince. “I’m… not actually a prince,” Dipper laughed awkwardly, trying to relieve some of the tension that had taken over the room. “Like I said, I thought we were playing around, so… I’m sorry? But I mean, hey, you’re a demon prince, I’m a human peasant; I completely understand why you don’t wanna marry me anymore.”

“I don’t care about you being a prince!” Bill laughed, embraced Dipper and began swinging him around. “I still love you! I still want your soul!”

“Uh, yeah, about that,” Dipper pried himself out of Bill’s arm. “What do you mean, exactly, when you say you want my soul?”

“When a human marries a demon, they create one of the most ancient contracts in this world,” Bill explained. “You give me your soul to keep, essential trusting your life in my hands, and I give you my heart, a demon’s only vulnerability. And since I have already done that, we only need to prepare for the wedding ceremony, where you hand over your soul to me, and along with that, your mortality, and then we’ll spend the rest of eternity together!”

“Oh, wow,” Dipper remarked, fear and anxiety starting to creep into his mind. “That’s uh… Are you sure you want to marry me? I mean, we’re both really young, and we barely know each other…”

“But I’ve seen your soul, and you’ve seen my heart,” Bill explained, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. “There’s no reason for us to wait; it was fate that we met!”

“Oh, okay,” Dipper gulped and nodded his head, still wary of accidently upsetting Bill again. “So, uh, we’re going to plan the wedding, huh? That’s probably gonna take a while… Maybe I should swing back to my house, and explain everything to my family, maybe invite them to the wedding?”

“Of course not!” Bill giggled. “The wedding will happen today! And besides, your family can’t enter here; it’s only for demons!”

Dipper was about to protest that he wasn’t a demon, but bit his tongue, and just gave a stiff nod.

 

The first thing that had to be done was decided on food. Bill’s mother showed the two boys the kitchen, where two wispy, shadow-like creatures were waiting.

“Now, what should we have for the reception?” Bill’s mother pondered.

“Uh,” Dipper swallowed nervously. “Sometimes, on special occasions, my mom would cook this porridge made from rice.”

“Porridge?” Bill’s mother scoffed. “My dear boy, around here we have a more refined taste.”

“Can’t we have that anyway, mom?” Bill asked. “I’ve never had porridge before. Oh! And can we also have that curry dish? I think Dipper would like it!”

“Alright,” Bill’s mother sighed. “And let’s also have the pheasant roast, and some fruit on the side; pomegranates, grapes, and plums.”

The shadow creatures, having heard the woman’s orders, immediately began their work.

“I’ll take care of decorations,” Bill’s mother announced to the boys. “You two go and get your clothes fitted.”

“Thanks mom!” Bill laughed and grabbed Dipper’s arm, pulling him out of the kitchen.

“Bill, why did your mother call you ‘Cipher’?” Dipper asked while the two were running down a long hallway.

“Because that’s my name!” Bill giggled.

“But you said you were named Bill,” Dipper argued.

“I told you to call me Bill,” the demon boy corrected his human fiancée. “A demon’s power lies in their name, so we can’t say our name.”

“Oh,” Dipper thought for a moment before he asked again; “Why were you so scared of taking my hand at first?”

“A handshake is a way to seal a deal,” Bill explained. “And being a young demon, I could very easily get tricked by a human. That’s why I’m not allowed outside. We’re here!” Bill yelled in delight as he stopped in front of a big door. “You go in there, and the Shades will help you get fitted into your new clothes. I’ll come and get you once I’ve gotten dressed!”

And before Dipper had the chance to protest, the little demon had taken off. Dipper turned the door, a worried frown marring his face, and entered the room. Inside the room were two more of those shadow-creatures.

“Uh, hi,” Dipper greeted them nervously. “I- I’m here to, uh, get my wedding clothes, I guess?”

The Shades didn’t respond. The one closest to Dipper floated across the floor, closed the door behind the human boy, and led him by the arm to the center of the room. Meanwhile, the other Shade had moved to a closet, where it pulled out rolls of white fabric. The first Shade conjured up a measuring tape, and began to take Dipper’s measurements, while the other began to work on the fabric using a sewing machine.

Once the general shape of the attire had been made, the Shades began to add some details; sewing pearls on the neckline and hem, adding ruffles and lace. They then showed Dipper the final product; a white sleeveless ball gown.

“I’m not wearing that,” Dipper said, shaking his head slightly. The Shades ignored him and brought the dress to him. As soon as it touched his body, it seemed to just melt in place, his own clothes disappearing completely. The Shades then gave him two long, white gloves, and the same happened, where they just seemed to appear on him. “I don’t like this one bit!” Dipper shouted angrily. “I don’t want to wear this! I hate it!”

“You do?” Dipper turned around and saw that Bill had entered the room, a heartbroken expression on his face. “I think it’s pretty… It looks pretty on you.” Behind Bill stood his mom, who was currently glaring daggers at Dipper. The human thought for a moment, that he could even feel the Shades glare at him behind his back.

“Oh, Bill,” Dipper tried to think of a way to salvage the situation, and hopefully not get killed. “I just… You know, I’m feeling stressed about the wedding, and I just want everything to be perfect.”

“Really?” Bill asked, letting out an almost pathetic sniffle.

“Of course,” Dipper assured him. “I, um, can’t wait for the wedding…”

“That’s great!” Bill said, his previous happy mood having returned. Bill’s mother was still glaring at Dipper, but at least she didn’t look like she wanted to skin him alive anymore. “So, what do ya think about my clothes?” Bill then asked.

Dipper hadn’t noticed Bill’s change in attire, even though the change was obvious; the previously dirty and ragged clothes had been replaced by a black tuxedo, a white undershirt, and black shoes. Dipper thought Bill looked somewhat cute in his new outfit, mostly because the formal clothes didn’t match Bill’s active and playful personality.

“Well boys, everything’s been prepared now, so it’s time to move on to the wedding,” Bill’s mother announced. “Follow me.” She turned around and walked away, the two boys following her close.

“A-already?” Dipper asked.

“Yes, we need to hurry,” Bill responded, a joyous spring in his step.

“Why? Why do we need to hurry?” Dipper asked, anxiety and fear returning to his mind.

Bill didn’t answer, he just continued forward.

They all arrived in a great hall, filled with more demons and Shades, all eyes on them.

As Bill led Dipper down the hall to a podium, where Bill’s mother already stood, Dipper could hear the mumbling and whispering as everyone stared at him.

Bill stopped in front of the podium, Dipper stopping beside him, and Bill’s mother handed him a necklace with a see-through gemstone attached.

“Dipper,” Bill said, smiling brightly as he did so. “I have already handed you my heart,” he stretched his hand, still holding the necklace, towards Dipper. “Now, will you give me your soul?”

Dipper’s gaze nervously flickered from Bill, to the necklace, to Bill’s mother, and then the crowd. He was scared of saying no, but he was even more frightened of what would happen if he said yes.

“… N-no,” Dipper finally said. He heard gasps from the crowd, and a strangled noise from Bill who now had a heartbroken expression on his face. “I’m sorry! This was all just a big misunderstanding. I can’t marry you. I can’t stay here!”

“… We made a deal,” Bill sobbed.

“Like I said, it was a misunderstanding,” Dipper stretched out his hand, wanting to comfort Bill, but his hand was grabbed and violently pulled away by Bill’s mother.

“You are not allowed to touch him, you filth!” she roared.

“… We made a deal,” Bill’s voice was now devoid of any emotion and his face had turned blank as he stared at Dipper.

Dipper turned his eyes to the crowd, all of who were walking towards him, looking very angry. Dipper’s gaze went back to Bill when he felt someone grab him, only to realize it was Bill, who now had an expression of pure rage on his face.

“WE MADE A DEAL!!!” Bill shouted.

Just as Dipper was beginning to fear he would never make it out of this alive, he felt the ground and walls shake slightly.

Everyone in the room stopped what they were doing, looking up in silent confusion, as the vibrations grew stronger, and were soon accompanied by a sound. It started out faint, but soon grew strong, as the unmistakable sound of the church bells rung through the hall.

“… We made a deal…” Dipper heard Bill’s voice say, quiet and broken, before he opened his eyes and found himself back in the forest under the boulder.

The church bells were ringing, signaling that it was now twelve in the noon, meaning that only an hour had passed from when Dipper fell asleep.

Dipper shot up from the ground, looking down at what he was wearing. He calmed down once he realized that he was still in his normal, everyday clothes, and not the wedding dress.

Throwing a last look to the forest, Dipper began wandering home, chalking it all up to just an odd dream.

 

Once he got back home to his grunkle’s shack, everything seemed to go back to normal. He did his chores with no complaint and was pleasantly tired when nighttime came.

He and his sister were in their room, ready to go to bed, when his sister’s eyes caught something.

“What’s that on your hand?” she asked. Dipper looked to where his sister’s gaze went, and his eyes widened at what he saw; the ring, the ring that Bill had given him in his dream! Why did he still have the ring?! Had it been there since he woke up and he hadn’t noticed? “It’s really pretty!” Mabel remarked cheerfully. “Where did you get it?”

“I… I don’t know,” Dipper shook his in fear and confusion, and immediately tried to remove the ring, but it was stuck. No matter how much he pulled, he could not get the ring off his finger.

“Is it stuck?” Mabel asked. “We can find some way to remove it tomorrow.” And with that, his sister went to sleep, unaware of the terror that had now taken over Dipper.

The thought of falling asleep was far gone now, replaced with a haunting and all-consuming fear.

Dipper didn’t shut an eye that night; he was much too afraid of who would greet him when he fell asleep…


	2. The Reunion

It had been ten years since Dipper was last in Gravity Falls; the small town hadn’t changed much since he left, and neither had his great uncle’s shack.

 

Dipper could only vaguely recall the first summer he spent there, those ten long years ago… He remembered being extremely scared of the forest and never going in there, except once. Dipper didn’t remember what had happened that one time he went into the woods, only that it had made him too scared to ever go back, and that he had found a ring; it was a beautiful ring, Dipper just couldn’t recall how he had gotten it, and aside from that, he couldn’t take it off. He had worn the ring since he found it, but it wouldn’t come off his finger; he had expected the wood that made up the ring to break as he grew, or at least get uncomfortably tight around his finger, but no matter what, the ring fitted perfectly, and most of the time, Dipper couldn’t even feel it.

 

Dipper had only spent a day in Gravity Falls before he began to feel… strange. It was pretty dumb, but he almost felt like the forest was… calling to him. He tried to ignore the feeling, focus on his work, but the urge only grew stronger. He decided that it must be some leftover anxiety from his childhood, a part of him that still held an irrational fear of the woods, so with that thought in mind, he shirked his chores for the day to finally overcome his fear once and for all…

 

 

The forest was wonderful; the fresh scent of the pine trees, the warm sun bathing his skin, the birds singing, even the far-off ringing of the church bells signaling that it was now eleven am, everything came together in a picture of tranquility and peace.

 

Dipper smiled to himself as he took it all in. He once again wondered whatever could have scared him so much. Sitting down and leaning his back against a tree trunk, the rays of the sun lulled him to sleep.

 

 

 

Dipper didn’t know how long he had been sleeping, but it was still day when he awoke to the sound of footsteps. The footsteps stopped, and Dipper opened his eyes to see who it was; the person stood only ten feet away from Dipper, staring at him with disdain. It was a young man, around Dipper’s age, but he was dressed in a yellow frock coat that looked like it was worth more than Dipper could ever make in his life, a white silk shirt underneath along with a black vest, a black bowtie, black slacks, black polished leather boots, a black top hat, and holding a black cane. His skin was dark, his hair even more yellow than his frock coat, and his eyes were golden and glaring fiercely at Dipper.

 

“S-sorry, sir,” Dipper apologized. He might not have done anything wrong, but this man was clearly rich, possibly even a lord, so Dipper knew he had to be polite and show him respect.

 

Somehow, this apology seemed to make the man even angrier, as he began to scowl at Dipper. Then the man’s face suddenly got softer, and he stepped closer, stretching out a hand to Dipper.

 

Dipper accepted the hand, trying not to question what was going on for fear of angering the man again, and he was helped to his feet.

 

“Thank y-“

 

“Follow me,” the man interrupted Dipper, grabbed him by the arm, and pulled him further into the forest.

 

The man walked a clearly predetermined path with a brisk pace, forcing Dipper to follow him. There was something about the man that Dipper found frighteningly familiar, but he couldn’t put his finger on it.

 

“Um, where are we going?” Dipper asked carefully, still afraid to offend the man.

 

The man didn’t respond, but he did increase his speed.

 

Finally, they arrived at a waterfall. The man kept leading Dipper, pulling him over to a cave hidden behind the fall.

 

“Go inside,” the man commanded, pushing Dipper into the cave.

 

Dipper only took a couple of steps inside before he stopped; his entire being was telling him not to go in further, to just stop what he was doing and run away as fast as he could!

 

“Why do you-“ Dipper turned around to face the man, but froze up once he saw him. The man’s eyes were glowing unnervingly, making shivers run down Dipper’s spine.

 

“You forgot about me, didn’t you?” the man said, glaring at Dipper. He began walking towards Dipper, forcing Dipper to walk further into the cave. “I never forgot about you.”

 

“Who are you?” Dipper asked. He didn’t know if it was the cold temperature in the cave, or the fear from the situation, but he could feel every hair on his body rise. “ _What_ are you!?”

 

“To think you rejected me,” the man continued as if he hadn’t heard Dipper. “And for _what_!? To become another cogwheel in human society? Let others strip away all your individuality, bend and shape you until you fit whatever role was chosen for you? You once had such a beautiful soul, but now it’s ruined! Dirtied! Soiled! Broken!”

 

“I don’t know what the heck you’re talking about!” Dipper shouted, his voice faintly echoing through the cave.

 

“But it’s not too late,” the man kept talking, ignoring Dipper’s outburst. “Your soul can still be restored to what it once was…”

 

“ _WHO ARE YOU_!?” Dipper yelled as loudly as he could.

 

The man stopped in his tracks, and gave Dipper a tiny smirk.

 

“You can call me Bill,” he said. The floor shook and collapsed under them, sending Dipper gliding downward.

 

As Dipper descended, he remembered everything, as if that one sentenced had unlocked all the previously forgotten memories; the young boy, the ring, the cave, the demons, the wedding! It had all rushed back to him by the time he found himself in the familiar grand hall.

 

He was once again surrounded by demons, all of them dressed in fine clothes and staring at him with disdain, if not downright disgust.

 

Before Dipper had a chance to run away, Bill was behind him, grabbing him by the arm and pulling him away.

 

“Bill!” Dipper exclaimed. “Or Cipher, or whatever your name is! I’m sorry, okay? That entire thing was just a big misunderstanding!”

 

“You should have thought about that before you took my heart,” Bill said, throwing Dipper a scowl over his shoulder. “But no matter; we can still rectify this.”

 

Bill led Dipper down a hallway, only to stop at a seemingly random door and throwing him inside.

 

“You have ten minutes to get him ready,” Bill ordered to whoever was in the room before shutting the door.

 

Dipper turned around to find more of those shadow-like creatures, they were called Shades if Dipper remembered correctly.

 

They didn’t waste any time and grabbed Dipper, holding him down and bringing a long-sleeved, sleek wedding gown to him. Like it had happened those many years ago, the dress seemed to just melt into place, his own clothes disappearing in the process. Dipper wondered how the Shades had had a dress ready, but mostly he wondered if there were more dresses than this one; had Bill ordered for many dresses to be made, as the years went by and he waited for Dipper to return?

 

Dipper was brought away from his line of thought when the door slammed open. Bill had returned, wearing a suit that was similar to the one he wore before, but somehow it seemed much more expensive and refined.

 

Bill once again grabbed Dipper by the arm and pulled him along.

 

Dipper tried to calm himself down, telling himself over and over again that he just had to wait until the church bell rang, then he would be able to escape!

 

Bill led him into a grand hall, one identical to the one from Dipper’s first trip to this place. In fact, it seemed like the hall hadn’t been changed at all, as if it had been frozen in time. The hall was filled with demons, all staring at Dipper with eyes full of mistrust and anger.

 

Dipper was dragged by Bill down the aisle. He stopped once they reached the end, and even took a couple of seconds to physically manipulate where Dipper was standing.

 

“I’ve been waiting for this for too long…” Bill mumbled before he was finally satisfied with where Dipper was standing. He took a deep breath, letting his scowl melt away to be replaced with a calm and collected smile. “Dipper,” he said opening his eyes and pulling out the same necklace with the see-through gemstone. “I have already handed you my heart. Now, will you give me your soul?”

 

Dipper swallowed audibly, trying to think up any way to stall for time until the church would ring.

 

“If you don’t give me an answer,” Bill continued in a threatening tone. “I’m just going to take it as a yes, considering you already have my heart.”

 

“Then, no,” Dipper shook his head. “I’m not going to say yes to this!”

 

“Too bad, you technically just said yes,” Bill grinned angrily before pressing the necklace to Dipper’s heart. The gemstone lit up before turning a shade of blue.

 

“That doesn’t count!” Dipper protested, pushing Bill away.

 

“The thing is, you don’t get to decide anymore,” Bill snarled, walking towards Dipper slow steps. “After all, why would a _peasant_ get a say in what a _prince_ has already decreed?”

 

Dipper shut his mouth and looked away, knowing that Bill was right. Even if he was only demon royalty, he was still above Dipper, and every lesson he had learned in his life told him that he wasn’t allowed to object to anything a royal decided.

 

“Say something, damn you!” Bill shouted and grabbed Dipper, shaking him slightly.

 

Dipper was beyond confused; first Bill said he wasn’t given a say, and now he was outright demanding it?

 

He was broken out of any further thoughts, when he heard the telltale sound of the church bells ringing. It was faint; so faint that Dipper almost wondered if he was imagining them, but he knew that at any minute, the volume would increase, the very hall would shake, and Dipper would be able to escape.

 

Turning his gaze back to Bill, he gave the demon a small smirk and said: “I’m never going to see you again…”

 

But nothing happened. And after a small moment, the church bells stopped ringing.

 

Dipper’s expression changed to one of fear and confusion, while a big smile appeared on Bill’s face.

 

“You actually thought you could run away like that now?” Bill laughed. “Oh no,” he lifted up the now blue-gemmed necklace. “You belong with me now.”

 

Dipper pushed himself away from Bill and ran. No one tried to stop him as he ran out of the hall, not even Bill.

 

He ran down the hallways, all of which looked the same, and he wondered how he was ever going to return home. Clearly there had to be some way to leave, since Bill was definitely able to. But then again, Bill seemed to only appear in dreams as far as Dipper knew; which raised the question if Dipper was still asleep outside. Was his body just asleep in the real world, and was the key to escaping finding a way to wake up?

 

Dipper stopped for a moment to catch his breath, feeling unbelievably exhausted and drained. But aside from that, he felt nothing. No fear or sadness, just overwhelmingly hollow and numb. But he had to push forward, and get as far away from Bill as possible.

 

But with every step, his exhaustion and numbness intensified, until he fell to the floor and fainted.

 

 

 

When Dipper awoke, he did feel better, more rested and alive. He did have some tender spots around his body, including the head; probably from when he fainted. He also found himself in a clearly expensive bed, complete with matching silk sheets and curtains.

 

Sitting on the bed beside him was Bill, the necklace now dangling from his neck.

 

“You were supposed to return when you started feeling bad,” Bill said with an unreadable expression. “Not keep going until you collapsed.”

 

Dipper just let out an exhausted sigh and fell back into the bed. He did not have the energy for another argument or escape.

 

“How did it feel?” Bill asked, his tone more tense than before.

 

“Well, you’re the one who put that spell on me, so you must know,” Dipper shrugged. Clearly Bill was to blame for what had happened to him; otherwise, how would Bill had known?

 

“A spell?” Bill laughed, but whether it was out of mirth or anger, Dipper couldn’t tell. “Oh no. What you felt was merely a fraction of what I had been going through these past ten years without my heart. After all, you were still in possession of my heart, so you had something to keep you grounded. But I? I had _nothing_.”

 

“What? What are you talking about?!” Dipper said, starting to get angry himself. “You keep blaming me for all of this, but I was just a kid!”

 

Bill didn’t respond, but it wasn’t hard for Dipper to imagine what he would have said in return; that he had been a kid too. A kid that had been so starved for affection he fell in love with the first person who showed him any kindness. And that love had seemingly turned into a seething hatred, if not a downright lust for vengeance.

 

“… Just send me back home,” Dipper begged after the silence grew too deafening. “You have my soul, you’ve made your point. If going through what you did is what it takes to make this right, then can’t we just get it over and done with?”

 

“… I am not sending you back,” Bill shook his head while giving Dipper a stern gaze.

 

“You can’t be serious,” Dipper gasped. “What reason could you possibly have for keeping me here? You don’t even pretend like you want me around.”

 

Bill opened his mouth as if to respond, but quickly closed it again. It took him a few more seconds to formulate his reply: “You still have my heart.”

 

“Why do you keep phrasing it like that?”

 

“Phrasing it like what? You literally have my heart,” Bill pointed to the ring he had given Dipper ten years prior.

 

“The ring?” Dipper stared at the jewelry in question before stretching his hand toward Bill. “Then take it! I don’t want it.”

 

Bill looked shocked, then anger settled back into his face. He rose from the bed and walked towards the door. “Take it off yourself,” he said before leaving, shutting the door behind him. The sound of the door locking followed, and Dipper rushed out of bed in a fit of panic.

 

After realizing that the door was indeed locked, Dipper sat down on the floor and waited for that feeling of emptiness to invade him again. Yet no matter how long he waited, he felt fine. Had Bill been lying, and that feeling and exhaustion had been caused by some spell? Dipper didn’t know, but if he was feeling fine, then there was no reason to wait around; he had to find some way to break out of the room.

 

Dipper looked through the room for something he could use as a lock pick. He felt like his best chances lied with the vanity. He rummaged through the drawers finding various pieces of jewelry and an assortment of gemstones, before he finally located something he could use; a golden hairpin decorated with a gem cut like a flower.

 

It took time, but he finally managed to get the door open, though he was somewhat shocked at what he saw on the other side; tied around the door handle was the necklace that Bill claimed contained Dipper’s soul.

 

At first Dipper realized that this was why he hadn’t been taken over by those feelings of total emptiness, but that would mean that Bill had resigned himself to what he claimed was an even worse suffering, all to spare Dipper. He refused to believe that. Bill must have lied and the necklace meant nothing; it was nothing more than a trinket designed to keep him trapped.

 

Dipper ignored the necklace and walked away, leaving it on the door handle. He would find a way out of there and escape back home.

 

But as he kept walking, his steps grew heavier and his thoughts cloudier. His previous resolve melted away into a puddle of despair. It had happened again, and soon Dipper fainted once more.

 

 

 

When Dipper regained consciousness, he realized he was back in the bed before he had opened his eyes. When he finally opened them, he did so carefully to survey the situation. He saw Bill on the other side of the bed, putting the necklace into a drawer in the bed table. Dipper closed his eyes again before Bill had a chance to see he was awoken.

 

From behind his closed lids, he saw the light in the room vanish, before feeling Bill getting into bed beside him. All Dipper had to do was wait for Bill to fall asleep, then grab the necklace and escape!

 

Dipper waited until he could hear Bill’s breath slowing and evening out, and even then he waited a little longer just to make sure Bill was sleeping. Opening his eyes, Dipper saw that Bill was indeed asleep; his mouth was even hanging a little open, leading to a very low snoring. The snoring was nothing compared to Mabel’s snoring though. He felt a pang of pain in his chest at the thought of Mabel, probably worried sick about where he was.

 

Filled with newfound resolution, Dipper tried to leave the bed, only to have the unconscious Bill react to the shifting weight in bed by wrapping his arms around Dipper’s middle. Trying to leave the bed was too risky now, but if he could only grab the necklace, he could figure out how to get out of Bill’s embrace. He couldn’t leave the bed, but maybe, if he leaned over Bill, he could reach the drawer on the other side of the bed. Dipper attempted to do so, while also trying not to awaken Bill. It was a difficult balancing act, but he managed to open the drawer and grab the necklace before his arms gave out and he fell on top of Bill, waking him up.

 

“Wha-?” Bill mumbled as he rubbed his eyes. When he realized what was going on, his tired expression was replaced with one of anger. “I can’t even go to sleep without you causing trouble?”

 

“Me causing trouble?!” Dipper looked at Bill with contempt. “You’re the one who kidnapped me and stole my soul!”

 

Bill swiped the necklace out of Dipper’s hand and placed it back in the drawer, this time locking the drawer with a key. He snapped his fingers and the key disappeared.

 

“You can’t keep me here forever,” Dipper said. “My family’s already noticed that I’m gone; they’re gonna find me.” Dipper didn’t know how his family was going to find the cave behind the waterfall and with it this secret kingdom, but it was all he had left to hope for now.

 

“Really?” Bill gave Dipper an unimpressed look. “Then maybe you should just stay put and wait for them to come and rescue you.”

 

And with that, Bill lied back down and went to sleep, his back turned towards Dipper.

 

 

 

It was morning, and if Mabel hadn’t been worried about her brother before, she was now. He had just disappeared yesterday, and hadn’t returned. Local folklore said that there lived monsters in the forest that would spirit away those unfortunate enough to get lost in there, and Mabel couldn’t help but wonder.

 

Right as she pulled out some baked goods from the oven, she heard a knock on the front door. Hoping it was her brother, but wondering why he would be knocking on the door, she left the baked goods to cool down and opened the door. It wasn’t her brother on the other side, but a tall young man dressed in fine clothes, clearly a lord or something in that vein.

 

“Oh!” Mabel exclaimed in surprise and quickly bowed to the gentleman.

 

“There’s no need for that,” the man laughed. “Is this the home of a Dipper Pines?”

 

“Well, it’s our great-uncle’s home,” Mabel explained. “We’re staying here for the summer. Um, if you’re looking for my brother, he’s not currently at home, but I don’t know what he did to-“

 

“Oh no, it’s nothing like that,” the man dismissed her. “Your brother was accidentally hit by my carriage yesterday; he was badly injured and knocked out for a while. As soon as he woke up, he insisted that someone should inform his family on his whereabouts so they wouldn’t worry.”

 

“Thank you,” Mabel smiled brightly at the lord. “We really appreciate that! If you could just send my brother back here with a carriage, we’ll get him out of your hair.”

 

“No, no, I must insist that your brother stays with me until he has recovered,” the smile on the man’s face faltered. “After all, it is my fault that he was injured.”

 

Mabel paused at that; it seemed weird that a lord would insist on taking care of a peasant.

 

“O-okay, just… wait a moment,” Mabel quickly ducked back into the kitchen. She wrote a note for Dipper and placed it at the bottom of a basket before covering the note with the newly baked muffins she had just made. She then carried the basket back to the lord. “Here! Please give these to my brother… A-and if you could return the basket, I’d really appreciate it; we don’t have a lot of baskets.”

 

“Naturally,” the lord smiled before leaving.

 

 

 

Dipper woke up feeling alright, meaning that the necklace still was hidden inside the drawer. Bill wasn’t there, making this a rare opportunity for Dipper to get the necklace and escape. He began searching the room for anything he could use to break open the lock, but nothing seemed to fit.

 

Before he had a chance to think up another plan, the door to the room opened, and Bill stepped in carrying a basket of muffins.

 

“Breakfast~” Bill chimed, placing the basket in Dipper’s lap before grabbing one in either hand. “I’ll just have these two; you can eat as many as you want.”

 

And just like that, he left the same way he came.

 

Dipper picked up a muffin and nibbled it. It tasted like something his sister would make, but he wasn’t sure if he was just projecting.

 

After having eaten the muffin, Dipper decided to take another one, but as he picked up the baked good, he found a note hidden underneath the muffins.

 

It read:

 

_Dipper_

_If you’re reading this, it means my letter has reached you._

_A nicely dressed gentleman showed up at our great-uncle’s house,_

_he claims that you were hit and injured by his carriage, and that he wants to keep you there until you’re healed._

_Is this true? I’m awfully worried, and I can’t help but find it strange._

_I asked him to return the basket to me, and I hid a piece of charcoal underneath the cloth._

_Write a response and hide it there; I will find it._

_Mabel_

 

Dipper almost couldn’t believe it. He wept from joy at seeing his sister’s letter and realizing that he could be saved. Picking up the red and white cloth that covered the bottom of the basket, Dipper found the hidden charcoal and wrote his response to Mabel on the other side of the letter.

 

_Mabel_

_Bill isn't human!_

_He is some kind of demon._

_Don't believe anything he says._

_I'm trapped in a cavern behind the waterfall in the forest,_

_gather the townspeople; save me._

_I am scared of what might happen to you though,_

_Bill has an army of demons, and they're all loyal to him,_

_so you have to be very careful._

_Dipper_

 

Dipper could only hope his sister would take the letter seriously, and that he had given enough information to be saved. He hid the letter and charcoal piece under the cloth, and began to eat his second muffin.

 

 

 

Around afternoon, Bill decided to return the basket. He knew about the secret letter between Dipper and his sister, so Bill had already taken the liberty of changing the letter around; he had specifically used his magic to rearrange the letters and symbols, as well as erase those that weren’t needed for his new revised message:

 

_Mabel_

_Don't worry; everything is alright._

_Bill is treating me very well._

_In fact, he has asked me to stay with him,_

_and I am tempted to say yes._

_Dipper_

 

 

Stepping up to the dilapidated house, he knocked on the door and was greeted by the same young woman from before.

 

“Hey,” she said, eyeing the basket Bill was carrying.

 

“Those muffins were delicious,” Bill complimented as he handed her the basket.

 

“I’m surprised you didn’t just send a servant,” Mabel laughed, accepting the basket.

 

“I rarely have a chance to leave my estate, so I take every chance I get.”

 

“Well, thank you for returning my basket,” Mabel said before waving goodbye and closing the door.

 

Bill began to walk away, but was quickly stopped when the door slammed open again and Mabel ran out. Bill noticed the letter clutched in her hand.

 

“When…” Mabel gasped before catching her breath. “I forgot to ask, when is Dipper coming back?”

 

“To be honest,” Bill gave her a guilty smile. “I offered to let him stay with me. I have grown quite fond of him. He said he needed some time to think about it.”

 

Mabel looked visibly upset at that answer. “But… what about his fiancé?”

 

“Fiancé?” Bill repeated, his brown furrowing in confusion.

 

“He’s engaged,” Mabel explained. “He’s supposed to marry her in September. He can’t just throw that away. Please, try to talk some sense into him!”

 

“… Alright,” Bill nodded, visibly shaken at this revelation.

 

 

 

Dipper had decided to put all escape attempts on hold for now. His message had reached his sister; she would find a way to save him. In the mean time, he just had to wait it out.

 

He was startled when Bill suddenly burst into the room, looking absolutely furious.

 

“ _You got engaged!?_ ” Bill shouted.

 

“How did you-“ Dipper’s question was swiftly interrupted.

 

“Your sister told me, when I returned her basket, like I had promised her,” Bill snarled. “Who?! Who are you engaged to?”

 

“Why should I tell you?” Dipper countered.

 

“I can’t believe you won’t marry me, but you’ll settle for some human,” Bill’s face wrenched with disgust.

 

“In case you hadn’t notice, _I’m_ human!” Dipper argued. “And at least my fiancé didn’t kidnap me!”

 

“ _I am your fiancé!_ ” Bill yelled in anger before his tone got more petulant. “I am your husband in fact. What does she have that I don’t?!”

 

“She…” Dipper tried to come up with something, but truth was he had only met his fiancé a couple of times, and neither times had he been able to talk to her.

 

“You can’t even say one thing about her?” Bill asked incredulously.

 

“It’s an arranged marriage, like most other marriages,” Dipper said as if it was self explanatory. “Once we’re married, I’ll get to know her.”

 

“And you think that’s better than staying with me?” Bill asked, his tone of voice suddenly very quiet.

 

“At least my family gets something out of it,” Dipper crossed his arms in a self defensive manner. “It was recently discovered that my family’s home lies on a historically significant spot. Her family wants to own it, so they offered my family a large sum for the land. My parents proposed that I should marry their daughter, since they don’t have a son, and her family has ties to nobility, plus my family gets a dowry on top of the original price for the land. Everyone wins.”

 

“Except you,” Bill argued. “Can you honestly tell me you’re happy with marrying someone you don’t even love?”

 

“Love doesn’t matter when it comes to marriage,” Dipper stated, shaking his head. “And it’s not like I love you either.”

 

Bill didn’t reply. He just made a very shocked, very saddened expression. For a moment, the ring on Dipper’s finger felt looser, before it tightened again. Was Bill starting to give up? Was he tempted to remove whatever spell was keeping the ring stuck on Dipper’s finger?

 

Bill quickly and suddenly turned away and marched out of the room.

 

 

 

Bill almost ran into the small chamber; it was a dark, very tiny room that he had become emotionally dependent on after Dipper came back. It had first happened when Dipper ran away after their wedding. Bill had waited for a while, but when Dipper didn’t come back to get closer to his soul, Bill had been forced to search for his human.

 

And he had found him collapsed in the hallway. Bill had brought him into their bedroom, but had needed a moment for himself, so he created a small room right beside his bedroom. In there, he had curled himself together, trying to trick himself into thinking the hard wall against his back was a comforting hand, and he had cried. He had cried for what felt like hours, until he finally felt drained enough to compose himself and return to wait at Dipper’s bedside.

 

It hadn’t worked. While waiting for Dipper to awaken, all the emotions inside him had returned, and it had resulted in another fight with the human. Bill had stormed out, and left Dipper’s soul tied to the doorknob so he wouldn’t collapse like that again, and went back into the chamber. He had gone back to the chamber another two times, all to sulk in his lonely and cry tears that hadn’t been shed in ten years.

 

It was only the second day of his marriage to Dipper, and he had already left the human to cry alone five times.

 

Bill let the tears fall harder than they had any of the other times. Not only did Dipper’s fiancé confirm harder than any words that Dipper had truly forgotten him, but for a moment, just a single, stray moment, Bill had- He couldn’t even make himself finish that thought. He had seen the ring on Dipper’s finger start to slip and realized his mistake in time, but that had still been too close.

 

The door opened and a Shade poked its head in, probably to make sure Bill was alright.

 

“I’m fine,” Bill assured the Shade, quickly drying his eyes as best as he could. “I just need some time alone.”

 

The Shade tilted its head before reluctantly closing the door, leaving its prince alone.

 

Bill wondered how all this had happened. They had been so happy together as children; he had thought if they got married, every day would be like that! So why wasn’t it?

 

The easiest thing to blame was humans; they had ruined Dipper! He used to be so wonderful, and curious, and kind! Now he acted like every other human out there.

 

But was that really the reason? There were still sparks of the real Dipper in there; his defiance of Bill, even if it was to return to the humdrum of normalcy, made it clear that humanity hadn’t succeeded in breaking Dipper’s spirit. Bill paused his tears, feeling like he was close to an epiphany; something he hadn’t realized because he had been too busy blaming others. The problem was him.

 

When he had been reunited with Dipper, anger at what humanity had done to his husband-to-be had consumed him! Aside from that, he had been hurrying things along, not wanting the church bells to awaken Dipper before the ceremony was over.

 

On the other hand, when they were children, he had been so happy, so excited! He had felt like he wanted to do anything and everything with Dipper… He still did.

 

It was so obvious now that Bill couldn’t believe he hadn’t realized it sooner; if he wanted everything to be like it was when they were children, he couldn’t let himself be consumed by spite and hatred. He had to make an effort.


	3. The Happy Ending

After Bill had left, Dipper kept messing with the ring. It had gotten looser during his fight with Bill, he was sure of it, but now it was as tight as ever.

 

Dipper still decided it was for the best to wait for his sister to come and save him. He wasn’t sure what Bill would do to him if he kept being defiant. Probably nothing when he thought about it, since so far all Bill had done was storm out of the room.

 

Speak of the devil; the door was carefully opened with Bill poking his head in.

 

“Hey,” he said, his voice sounded hoarse.

 

“Hi,” Dipper answered back, unsure of why Bill was acting this way.

 

“I realized that I haven’t really shown you around,” Bill continued while he stepped inside the room, walking over to the drawer where the necklace containing Dipper’s soul was kept. He put the necklace on and gave Dipper a questioning look.

 

“You… wanna show me around?” Dipper asked, unsure of where this was even coming from, but he supposed getting a better look around the place couldn’t hurt. “Alright.”

 

“Great!” Bill smiled. He instinctively reached out his hand toward Dipper, but retracted it, before once again, more hesitantly this time, reaching out and grabbing Dipper by the arm.

 

Bill began leading Dipper out of the room and down the hallway. They were walking at first, but soon Bill picked up speed and started running, forcing Dipper to run along. They were zigzagging between any demons and Shades they encountered; Dipper only managed to catch a few disdainful gazes from them as he and Bill ran.

 

“Why are we running, Bill?” Dipper finally asked.

 

“I have so much to show you!” was Bill’s only response.

 

And he had spoken the truth; Bill ended up spending the rest of the day showing Dipper different rooms; ballrooms, guestrooms, music rooms, art rooms, dining rooms. After a while everything just started blending together, to the point where Dipper felt he knew less about the place’s layout than before.

 

“Are you getting hungry?” Bill asked after showing Dipper what felt like the sixth tea parlor.

 

“I guess?” Dipper shrugged. “How long have you been showing me around?”

 

“It’s around dinner time, I think,” Bill replied. “I’ll take you to the kitchen!” he continued excitedly. “I haven’t shown you-…” he trailed off as a more forlorn expression appeared on his face. “I mean, I did… before…”

 

It took Dipper a moment before he realized what Bill was talking about. He could see that Bill was still upset about what had happened, but he wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do about it. Still, there had to be some way to snap Bill out of it.

 

“You know, I am starting to get hungry,” Dipper said, attempting to distract Bill from whatever dark thoughts had invaded his mind. “Perhaps we could eat dinner together.”

 

Bill’s face brightened at Dipper’s suggestion, and he led him to the kitchen.

 

Instead of ordering some food from the kitchen staff, Bill swiped two bowls filled with a food dish Dipper didn’t recognize, and took them and Dipper back to the bedroom.

 

“Why didn’t you just ask for something?” Dipper asked while the two sat on the floor in the bedroom.

 

“I used to swipe food all the time, when I was a kid,” Bill laughed. “It just makes the food taste better!”

 

“I’ll take your word for it,” Dipper shrugged and continued eating.

 

The rest of the day was pleasant overall; they spent the rest of the evening talking before going to bed. The next few days were similarly spent, with them mostly talking; Dipper was starting to feel content, at peace even. It was odd, but it felt like a part of him he didn’t know he was missing had returned. There was something freeing about being with Bill, like there was no expectations for who he should be.

 

“… So I tried my best to get a better look at the bird, fell into the lake, and then, two seconds later, my sister jumps into the lake herself, because she thought I had decided to go for a swim!” Dipper laughed as he relayed a story from his childhood.

 

Bill laughed along. “I always hated water when I was little, including baths,” he explained. “My mother would try her best to force me, but I’d always hide away in the walls.”

 

“In the walls?” Dipper asked.

 

“As member of the royal family, this entire place bends and shapes to my will.”

 

“Oh, right, you’re a prince,” Dipper reminded himself. The statement felt almost like a wakeup call from the past few days of bliss; a reminder that he and Bill were from different worlds, and not because Dipper was a human and Bill was a demon. “So… what are your duties as a prince?”

 

“To keep order in this realm and protect the forest,” Bill clarified.

 

“Bill… There’s something that’s been bothering me,” Dipper said as he couldn’t keep his thoughts back any longer. “Why… Why don’t you just take off the ring?”

 

Bill turned quiet and stared at Dipper.

 

“I mean, if you really wanna be with a human, couldn’t you just pick someone else?”Dipper let out a hollow laugh. “You’ve already admitted that my soul isn’t that great anymore, so why don’t you just take back your heart and find someone… better?”

 

“You-“ Bill slapped his hand over his mouth, silencing whatever he was about to say.

 

“Bill? What’s wrong?” Dipper asked nervously. “I-I’m sorry if I said something-“

 

Dipper wasn’t able to finish his sentence as Bill jumped to his feet and ran out of the room.

 

“Not again,” Dipper said to himself. He couldn’t help but feel like he had screwed up, again. Despite the last days of happiness and companionship between the two, Dipper felt like he was just making Bill’s life worse.

 

He ran out of the room and tried to spot Bill, but the demon had seemingly disappeared. He did however discover a small door beside the one leading to the bedroom. He didn’t remember there being a door there. He was about to write it off, until he remembered what Bill had said; the entire place would bend and shape to Bill’s will.

 

Dipper knocked on the door before opening it up, revealing Bill huddled in a small room, his eyes red and cheeks stained. He looked shocked, horrified even, at seeing Dipper. He rose to his feet and pushed past Dipper, running back into the bedroom before making the door disappear behind him, and leaving Dipper locked out.

 

“Bill!” Dipper called, knocking on the wall where the bedroom door used to be. “Are you crying? What’s wrong?! I’m sorry! Just take the ring and I won’t ever bother you again.”

 

“Haven’t you caused enough trouble?” Dipper turned around to find Bill’s mother, glaring at him with disdain.

 

“I’m not trying to cause trouble,” Dipper protested. Bill’s mother snarled and grabbed Dipper by the arm.

 

“I suppose it’d be best if I just showed you.”

 

She took Dipper to a room he hadn’t seen before; it was round, dark, and empty aside from a circular ball placed on top of pedestal that reached Dipper’s waist.

 

“This orb holds the collective memories of all Shades,” Bill’s mother explained. “We only use it in dire circumstances, but you must learn of the pain and suffering you’ve caused.”

 

Bill’s mother took Dipper’s hand in a hard grip and placed it on the orb.

 

First Dipper saw a flash of darkness, followed by a cloudy vision of something he couldn’t make out, almost as if he was seeing it through water. His vision cleared, and what he saw was himself and Bill when they were children. They were standing at an altar, demons and shades observing them.

 

**_The room was shaking, and Dipper’s body was fading away._ **

****

**_“… We made a deal…” Bill whispered before Dipper was gone and the room stopped shaking._ **

****

**_Bill let out a painful scream, as if someone had stabbed him and was twisting the knife. He collapsed to the floor, sobbing and screaming loudly. He tried to pick himself up, only to throw up and faint in his own vomit._ **

****

Dipper’s vision went blurry again. This time when it cleared, it showed the still young Bill, lying in bed, with his mother, another demon, and a few shades beside him.

 

**_Bill was thrashing around, his eyes closed; it looked like he was having a fever dream. His body was drenched in sweat and his skin was pale. He let out a few pained sobs and inaudible mumbles every now and then._ **

****

**_“We have to face the facts that he might not make it,” the demon Dipper didn’t recognize said to Bill’s mother._ **

****

**_“Damn him,” Bill’s mother sighed. “We can only hope that my son is strong enough to withstand this.”_ **

****

The next vision showed a slightly older version Bill; he was still in his bed, but now he was sitting up. Still, it looked like his body wasn’t strong enough to keep itself upright judging from the large amount of pillows used to prod up Bill’s body.

 

**_Bill stared straight ahead into the nothingness, barely blinking. The only thing that made him seem somewhat alive was the way his breath would periodically turn more shallow before evening out again._ **

****

Next, Dipper saw a vision of Bill as a teenager, still stuck in bed, but with less pillows needed to keep him upright. Bill even looked healthier now; his skin had regained more color, his eyes seemed brighter, and he was actually able to focus and talk to his mother who was also there, along with a couple of Shades.

 

**_“It would be so easy,” Bill’s mother complained. “I can get someone to grab you a human or two, and steal their souls for you. You’d be back in shape and never have to worry about that boy again.”_ **

****

**_“But what about when he comes back?” Bill protested. “He’d be hurt! He might even think I’d tried to replace him…”_ **

****

**_“He left,” Bill’s mother growled. “He called it a mistake! He’s never coming-“_ **

****

**_“Dipper didn’t mean it like that!” Bill shouted. “… We were just kids… Of course he didn’t understand what he’d agree to. He just needs some time to mature, as do I… and then when he’s ready, he’ll come back… He’ll come back and we can be together again, like before…”_ **

****

The next vision showed a now adult Bill carrying Dipper into the bedroom, followed by his mother and the Shade whose view Dipper was seeing it from.

 

**_“Why…?” Bill said without emotion as he stared at Dipper’s unconscious body. “Why did you forget me? I never forgot you…”_ **

****

**_“He’s human, dear,” Bill’s mother sighed with exasperation. “You shouldn’t have placed your heart in the care of such a-“_ **

****

**_“Shut up!” Bill yelled at his mother. “He still has the ring!”_ **

****

**_Bill’s mother sighed again, as if that settled the argument._ **

****

**_“… Why doesn’t the necklace or ring work?” Bill asked after a moment of silence. “Why does it still hurt when I’m away from him?”_ **

****

**_“The exchange only works if both parties are willing to give and receive,” Bill’s mother explained. “Until then, you are both going to feel the full effect of being separated from your heart or soul.”_ **

****

Dipper’s vision blurred before focusing again, this time showing Bill huddled inside the same small space Dipper had found him in, crying; he was wearing the same clothes as from the previous vision, indicating it was happening on the same day.

 

**_Bill looked up, his eyes filled with tears as he glared at the Shade that had intruded upon him._ **

****

**_“LEAVE!!!” Bill roared, forcing the Shade to leave._ **

****

The next vision showed Bill, once again huddled in the small space, crying. Judging from the change in Bill’s clothes, this seemed to occur on a different day.

 

**_This time when Bill noticed the Shade, he didn’t yell. Instead he tried to quickly dry his eyes, as if he was trying to hide that he had been crying._ **

****

**_“I’m fine,” Bill assured the Shade. “I just need some time alone.”_ **

****

Dipper blinked a couple of times before he realized that he was no longer seeing any vision; he was back in the room with Bill’s mother.

 

“Oh my god,” Dipper stumbled and grabbed a hold of the orb’s pedestal to keep from falling over.

 

“I do not appreciate the way you’ve been playing with my son’s heart,” Bill’s mother snarled. “If you truly wish to leave this place, the least you could do is cut of the finger Cipher’s heart is stuck on and return it to him.”

 

“Bill…” Dipper gasped and ran out of the room as fast as his still wobbly legs could carry him. When he had left Bill, he had been crying and all alone! After what Dipper had just seen, he couldn’t stand the thought of Bill being alone and miserable.

 

Dipper stopped at where he was sure the bedroom door used to be. He began to hammer both his fists on the wall as hard as he could.

 

“Bill!” Dipper shouted desperately. “Bill, you have to let me in right now!”

 

To Dipper’s surprise, the door rematerialized, allowing him to enter. Inside, Bill was sitting on the floor, his back turned towards Dipper, his body shaking slightly.

 

“W-what…” Bill’s voice was quaking and barely audible. He cleared his throat before speaking with a more steady voice, but still kept his back turned. “What do you need?”

 

Dipper didn’t respond verbally. He walked over to Bill and embraced him from behind. Bill’s body tensed at feeling Dipper’s contact.

 

“W-what are y-you doing?” Bill asked, his voice once again shaking.

 

“Your mother showed me what I did to you,” Dipper responded. “Why did you run away to cry alone?”

 

“… Y-you weren’t s-supposed t-to see that,” Bill said, sobbing with every shake going through his body. “I’m n-not supposed to be w-weak!”

 

“Bill, crying doesn’t make you weak,” Dipper began rocking him and Bill back and forth in a soothing rhythm. “In fact, you’re one of the strongest people I’ve ever known… I don’t think I could have survived those ten years in your place.” Tears began to fall from Dipper’s eyes. “I’m sorry… Your mother was right; you shouldn’t have given me the ring. Ever since you’ve met me, your life has only gotten worse. You should’ve given it to someone who deserves it.”

 

“Dipper…” Bill swallowed audibly and finally turned around, revealing his red eyes and tear-stricken face. “You wanna know the reason why you can’t remove the ring? It’s stuck there as long as I love you.”

 

“What?” Dipper stared at him in shock. He couldn’t believe it that after all the pain and suffering he had put Bill through, the demon never once stopped loving him… that shouldn’t be true, couldn’t be true.

 

“So I want you to remember that,” Bill said as he placed his hands on Dipper’s shoulders.

 

“Okay, I won’t forget,” Dipper nodded, taken aback by Bill’s serious tone and expression.

 

“Will you promise… not to forget me this time too?”

 

“Forget you? What are you-“

 

“I’m sending you back,” Bill stated, tears beginning to fall from his eyes again. “That’s what you want, right? I tried to make you happy here, but…” Bill trailed off for a moment before he began speaking again. “You can keep the necklace too; I don’t need it.”

 

“Bill-“

 

“Your sister doesn’t know what happened to you,” Bill interrupted. “I changed the words in your secret message to her; she thinks you were hurt and a rich lord took you in…”

 

“Bill, wait-“

 

“Don’t make this any harder than it is!” Bill cried. “I’m trying to do the right thing… Just… if human society ever makes you feel inadequate or small… look at your ring, and remember that you made a demon fall in love you. Because I do love you, Dipper; more than anything else… That’s why I need to let you go…”

 

Before Dipper had a chance to protest, in the blink of an eye he found himself in the forest. He was lying on the ground beneath a tree. It was the place he had fallen asleep in. For a moment, Dipper wondered if it had been a very vivid dream, but he noticed quickly that he was not only still wearing the ring, but also the necklace containing his soul, as well as the fine clothes Bill had given him.

 

Bill… Remembering him, Dipper took a look towards the waterfall’s location, but he shook his head and began walking in the opposite direction, to his great uncle’s home. Bill had been right, of course; this was what Dipper wanted… right? Besides, Bill would be better off without him.

 

He arrived back home and was greeted by his sister with a big hug.

 

“I was getting worried after I got your message,” she said. “I thought maybe you’d decide to stay there.”

 

“No, I,” Dipper paused, searching for the right words. “I told Bill I had to go back home.”

 

 

 

After returning to the shack, things began to return to seemingly normal; during the days, Dipper would be too distracted by his chores to think about Bill, but when night came, especially when he fell asleep, thoughts and dreams about Bill would haunt him.

 

At first the dreams were pleasant, and Dipper thought that perhaps Bill had found a way to visit him in his dreams. But as the days passed, the dreams turned rotten; the Bill in his dreams would writhe in pain, begging Dipper to come back. It wasn’t until Dipper had a dream where Bill turned angry, saying that he hoped Dipper never returned and that his heart was too broken to continue loving Dipper, even dreaming that the ring slipped off his finger and broke on the floor, that Dipper knew the dreams weren’t real; especially since the ring stayed firmly in place on his finger.

 

That didn’t mean the dreams didn’t affect Dipper. He’d get distracted from his chores; finding himself gazing at the forest, wondering how Bill was doing. He told himself that eventually Bill would fall out of love with him, that he would grow to resent him. But the ring stayed where it was, never once slipping an inch.

 

Dipper began to pick up the habit of absentmindedly picking at the ring; he’d try to twist and turn it to see if it’d loosen. It didn’t take long for his sister to notice.

 

“Dipper,” Mabel said as they were heading to bed, Dipper playing with the ring as he had started doing. “Is the ring bothering you?

 

“No,” Dipper mumbled, staring at nothing as he was mostly lost in his thoughts.

 

“Well, you’ve been wearing it for, what, years now? Isn’t it getting uncomfortable?”

 

“No,” Dipper repeated, still not meeting his sister’s gaze.

 

“You should probably remove it anyway,” Mabel said while getting comfortable in her bed. At this, Dipper perked up and stared at his sister. “I mean, it’s on your ring finger, and you’re getting married soon; it might give your fiancé the wrong idea.”

 

“I… I can’t get it off,” Dipper responded.

 

“No? Then… we’ll find something to cut it off. It’s made of wood, right? Shouldn’t be hard.”

 

“Let’s wait until we get back home,” Dipper told her, lying down in bed and pulling the covers over his body.

 

“Alright,” Mabel yawned and shut her eyes. “Goodnight Dipper.”

 

“Goodnight Mabel,” Dipper returned, but now he was wide awake; if the ring was the physical manifestation of Bill’s heart, what would cutting it do to Bill?

 

 

 

They were supposed to return home today. Dipper knew this, and he was panicking. It wasn’t just the prospect of leaving Gravity Falls forever, knowing he was abandoning Bill, who still loved him; who despite Dipper’s carelessness still entrusted him with his heart. Dipper didn’t want to go back home. He hadn’t been looking forward to it to begin with, but now that he was standing in front of the horse drawn wagon that would take him and his sister home, all he could think about was how unhappy and bleak his future looked.

 

Dipper didn’t love his fiancé, and he knew she didn’t care much for him, but they hadn’t had much to say in their engagement. Dipper had accepted that he would never marry out of love, but now? Now he knew there was someone who loved him; loved him despite all the pain he had caused them and still did.

 

When Dipper had first met his fiancé, he had been told to keep quiet and let his parents do the talking; that this was Dipper’s, and his family’s, one chance to become something of actual worth, and after a lifetime of having it hammered in how unimportant he was and how little he mattered in the grand scheme of things, Dipper had just accepted his lot in life.

 

But now he knew there was someone who thought he was extraordinary, irreplaceable even, and Dipper didn’t know if he could live the rest of his life unhappy for the sake of heightening his and his family’s status in a system that didn’t even matter.

 

And it was when Dipper realized this, that no part of this arranged marriage mattered at all, he found the courage to do what he did.

 

“Dipper?” Mabel was already sitting in the wagon, looking worriedly at her brother, who had just been staring at the wagon for a while instead of getting on it. “Are you okay?”

 

“… I can’t do this,” Dipper whispered and shook his head. He turned around and ran towards the forest as fast as he could, ignoring his sister shouting after him. He ran as far into the forest as he could before he had to stop and catch his breath.

 

He looked behind him, but didn’t see his sister. He hoped she wouldn’t decide to chase after him. He knew what he was doing was selfish, but he couldn’t leave; he refused to.

 

Dipper lied down in shade of a tree, far enough away from the forest path that his sister wouldn’t find him, and began to fall asleep.

 

He awoke later and made his way towards the waterfall, almost running with excitement. He crawled behind it and into the cave that would lead him to Bill, only to find that the cave was only a few meters deep, ending in a cave wall.

 

Dipper pinched himself, expecting to wake up, but it seemed like he was awake. Perhaps he needed a demon to help him enter the dreamlike state that allowed entrance to their kingdom. Either way, Dipper wasn’t leaving.

 

 

Within a week, Dipper had transformed the cave into a makeshift camp. He had built a campfire, and acquired furs from a couple of wolves that had tried to attack him. He got water from the stream the waterfall led to, and food in the form of various berries and nuts, plus meat from a rabbit he had been lucky to catch.

 

Every night he would go to sleep, hoping to see Bill waiting for him, but it didn’t happen. Doubt began to invade Dipper’s mind as he started wondering if perhaps Bill didn’t want him back. But every time these thoughts would plague him, he’d look at the ring, still stuck on his finger, and recall what Bill had said before letting him go. So Dipper waited, and weeks later, his patience was rewarded.

 

He awoke one morning to find a message written in the ground by his sleeping space:

 

_Go back home_

Dipper frowned at the message. He didn’t know if it was from Bill or someone else, like his mother. He wrote his response in the ground beneath the message:

 

_My home is with Bill_

The next morning, another message:

 

_I am trying to do what’s best for you. I gave you your freedom_

Reading this, Dipper was certain that Bill was the one leaving the messages. Was he physically visiting Dipper while he slept to write these messages? Dipper wondered wistfully if Bill was perhaps spending time with him while he was asleep, keeping watch over his unconscious body. It made him feel less lonely. Dipper responded to the message:

 

_I just want to be with you. Let’s talk about it, please_

The next morning, there were no new messages, and the morning after the previous messages from Bill had been erased, leaving only Dipper’s responses.

 

 

The month went on with Dipper still receiving no new messages from Bill. The weather was getting colder, indicating that it was well into October now. Dipper began to realize that he might be forced to find some way to make it through winter. He knew he’d probably have to hunt down a few more wolves and get more furs to keep warm. Food was another problem entirely, but maybe he could make a makeshift fishing rod or even weave a net to catch some fish.

 

On one cold morning in late October, Dipper got his first message from Bill in a long time:

 

_You have to leave now_

Dipper responded back:

 

_I won’t leave until I see you_

It took a few days, but he got another message:

 

_I am not coming for you. If you don’t leave soon, you are going to die. You can’t survive the winter out here_

Dipper couldn’t help but chuckle at the new message and wrote back confidently:

 

_I know you’d never let me die_

 

Once again he didn’t receive any new messages the next morning. Instead, all of the messages had been erased. In response, Dipper wrote a new message:

 

_I’m not leaving you again_

When the message was erased the next morning, Dipper rewrote it, along with the words:

 

_I know you’re reading these messages Bill_

This time, the messages weren’t erased, but he didn’t receive any new ones either.

 

 

As the days passed, it got colder and colder. Soon, there was frost covering the grass and plants every morning. There was even a day where it started snowing while Dipper was out looking for food. Dipper would shake and freeze at night, trying to keep warm covered in fur and lying close to the fire. He still refused to leave.

 

One morning, instead of waking up cold like he was used to now, Dipper awoke in a warm embrace. Someone was holding his body tenderly, but he could also hear the sound of sobbing. He opened his eyes to see that it was Bill, crying and refusing to meet his eyes.

 

“Now…” Bill sobbed. “Now I’ll never be strong enough to let you go again…”

 

“Then don’t,” Dipper said, taking off the necklace and hanging it around Bill’s neck before returning the embrace. “And I’ll never leave you again.”

 

“Dipper…” Bill cried. “I c-can’t stop crying… I’m s-so happy, but I can’t stop! I’m sorry… I’m sorry for being so selfish!”

 

“Shh…” Dipper hushed him, rocking him back and forth. “You don’t have to stop…”

 

“W-why did you come back?” Bill asked, trying his best to hold back his tears. “W-what made you decide you w-wanted to stay with me?”

 

Dipper paused. He thought of all the emotions he had felt, not just in the last couple of months, but from this moment to the moment he first met Bill, and the answer was clear.

 

“I decided to be selfish,” he responded honestly, planting a chaste kiss on Bill’s cheek. “Besides, even though you had given me back my soul, you still had a part of me; and I hadn’t even realized I was missing it for all those years. So let me be selfish, Bill, and to hell with everyone else.”

 

 

The villagers in Gravity Falls knew the young boy by the name of Dipper Pines had been doomed once they heard he run off into the old forest. Ancient legends spoke of spirits that lived there; that they would target humans who wandered in and drive them to madness and eventual death. The villagers didn’t have the heart to tell the boy’s sister though, who desperately wanted to find her brother.

 

It came as a surprise when, on the first day of winter, an extravagant mansion seemed to pop up in the midst of the forest, seemingly over night. It didn’t take long for the mansion’s occupants to visit the town; a truly odd couple indeed. One was clearly of noble blood judging from the way he carried himself, while the other was obviously lower class, but the two walked hand in hand as equals. They would always be dressed in fine clothes, and they would act as if they were the only two people in sight, showing public affection with deep kisses and embraces that was unfitting of the status their clothes suggested.

 

Sometimes, the lower class one would visit alone. He’d go to the post office and either deliver or receive letters. There were low whispers of the young man having an affair, but few who had seen the affection between the odd couple believed it.

 

Even the villagers who believed the rumors would under no circumstances dare to bring it up to the couple, for it was certain among the townsfolk, especially after reports of people spotting inhumane, black shadows in the mansion’s windows, that the two were not human, but those spirits that the legends warned about.

 

The villagers wondered why the spirits were now seeking out beyond the forest, many fearing that the spirits sought to retake the land the village had been built on. But it wasn’t like they could do anything to stop them. So the villagers would cling to their rosaries and flock to the church on the days where Bill and Dipper simply wanted to take a stroll through the town, or the days where Dipper would go to the post office to exchange letters with his sister.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this ended up taking so long! I had not expected this story to reach almost 50 pages! Even then, I also had to rewrite a couple of parts because I found them lacking, so hopefully it was worth the wait;3
> 
> Next update will be on Lovesick. Not as long as this one, but still pretty long.
> 
> Hope you liked it! Please leave a comment if you want to:3

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Don't know when chapter 2 will be finished, but I'll do my best to have it out soon:3
> 
> Please leave a comment, if you want to:3


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